What are the best cheap Samsung phones? We tested all of them, here's our top 5

When it comes to great budget phones, Samsung is the undisputable king. When considering which cheap Samsung phone to buy, you have to keep a few things in mind:

• How far can you stretch your budget?
• Is 5G available in your region? Do you need the extra speed?
• Will you buy unlocked or via a carrier?

The good news here is that no matter what your needs are, there’s an affordable Samsung phone out there for you. To help you choose, we’ve tested every model currently sold and selected the five best cheap Samsung phones you can buy in order from highest to lowest pricing. Check out our buyer’s guide if you’re not sure what to look for, or just keep reading to see our top pick. Looking for a cheap phone and willing to venture outside of Samsung’s ecosystem? We have a guide for the best cheap phones that you should check out.

The Galaxy S24 FE is the closest to a flagship experience

Despite dropping the official “Fan Edition” nomenclature, Samsung is still putting out FE devices, and the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is a near-flagship experience for significantly less money. It’s still the most expensive phone on this list at $650, but if it’s like previous editions you will be able to find it on sale for less very soon.

The device itself is the spitting image of the Galaxy S24 Plus, with several concessions to hit a price point that’s $150 cheaper than the cheapest S24 device. Those include a slightly weaker chipset, a worse screen, and a few others, but in our experience it’s still a very solid device that’s more than capable of just about everything its flagship cousins boast. That includes a host of Galaxy AI features, like Circle to Search, Sketch to Image, and more.

Ultimately, the only real disappointment with this device is that it doesn’t feature a Snapdragon processor. That’s not a huge deal for everyday performance, but it’s a bit of a letdown for hardcore fans looking for something closer to the flagship this phone is emulating.

If you really want a Snapdragon processor check out last year’s Galaxy S23 FE ($599.99 at Amazon), which is still a great phone and can typically be found for much cheaper.

What makes it stand out

• Premium feel: The Galaxy S24 FE is (almost) every bit as premium as its flagship siblings.
• Great cameras: One area where the S24 FE doesn’t make concessions is cameras, with great lenses and processing.
• Large screen: The 6.7-inch AMOLED 2X display is bright and brilliant.

The Galaxy A54 5G is the best alternative to the FE

While there’s technically a newer model, the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is only available in international markets and it honestly doesn’t stand out enough from the Galaxy S24 FE that it would be worth importing. For those who want the highest-end budget phone experience, you might just want to get the Galaxy S24 FE if you live in the US. Looking for an alternative? That leaves the Galaxy A54 5G as the most accessible model in the A50 series. Not only is the A54 still a good phone, you also get a guarantee of five years of security updates, which means this phone will last you until 2028 and beyond if you take care of it.

The Galaxy A54 5G is powered by an Exynos 1380, which we found to be fine for daily tasks, if a bit underpowered compared to more expensive Samsung phones. It also features 128GB of storage, which we think is perfect for most users, plus the option to increase that with a simple microSD card. This model also features 5G, which is a great way to futureproof your device for network upgrades in your local area.

The camera quality is pretty decent for this price range, especially the main shooter. Battery life is also great, lasting about a day and a half in our testing. The relatively quick 25W charging also topped off the phone in just 85 minutes. Unfortunately, there’s no charger included in the box, so you’ll have to find a compatible model if you don’t already have a USB-C charger at home. Also, those 25W speeds are only for USB Power Delivery PPS Chargers, with unsupported models limited to 15W. There’s also no wireless charging, but that’s not too surprising at this price point. There’s also a great Super AMOLED display with a crisp, speedy 120Hz refresh rate.

What makes it stand out

• Versatile cameras: A powerful main camera backed up by ultrawide and macro lenses make this a complete camera package.
• Beautiful display: The 120Hz Super AMOLED is bright, crisp, and speedy in all situations.
• Fantastic battery life: The 5,000mAh battery lasts for nearly two days, and charges back up quickly.
• Solid storage: 128GB is enough to store photos and apps for most people, and the microSD card slot makes it easy to upgrade.
• 5G: Not every region has access to the latest mobile networks, but this phone is ready for the future.

The Galaxy A25 5G offers incredible value for the price

The Samsung Galaxy A25 5G offers a pretty impressive experience, especially considering its low price tag. Although the plastic build feels somewhat cheap and the fingerprint reader can be inconsistent, this phone has several strengths. The Exynos 1280 chip, while not blazing fast, delivers above-average performance for its price range, and the display features a sharp AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. However, it isn’t the brightest and may appear washed out in outdoor settings.

The camera setup is notably impressive for a budget phone, featuring a 50MP primary lens, an 8MP ultrawide sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. The main camera performs well in well-lit conditions, and even the ultrawide lens does a respectable job, although the macro sensor lacks the sharpness needed to capture detailed macro shots. Another strong point is the battery life; with a 5,000mAh capacity and 25W wired charging, it matches what you’d expect from flagship models like the Galaxy S24, comfortably lasting through a day of use.

While the Galaxy A25 isn’t suited for gaming or power-intensive tasks, it handles social media, basic apps, internet browsing, and simple photography quite well. However, potential buyers should be aware of occasional lags in the UI and when multitasking, which are common in this price range. Looking for something similar and within the same price range? There’s also the Galaxy A35 ($359.99 at Amazon). The two phones are surprisingly similar though, which is why we didn’t add it as a full recommendation. At the end of the day, the A25 is just a better deal considering some of the performance and heating issues the A35 is known for.

What makes it stand out

• Solid performance: It won’t win any speed tests, but for daily use this phone gets it done.
• Battery life: For simple daily use, this device can last for about a day.
• Value: This phone hits the perfect spot between mid-range and truly budget devices.

The Galaxy A15 5G is extremely cheap, and yet surprisingly capable

The Galaxy A15 5G isn’t going to be perfect at just $200, but it delivers a shockingly strong experience aside from poor speaker quality, and chunky bezels.

The 6.5-inch OLED display might just be 1080p, but it’s extremely vibrant and has deep blacks that blow any LCD panel out of the water. There’s also 800 nits of brightness, which isn’t half bad for a phone at this price. Even the primary camera works fairly well. The detail is good, even if the colors are a bit over-emphasized and exposures are a bit long. The 5MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro cameras aren’t nearly as impressive but do the job if you aren’t particularly picky about photo quality. The biggest plus to the A15 is battery life. Depending on your usage habits, you could easily make it to two days or possibly more on a single charge.

Should you buy the Galaxy A15? It really comes down to how much it will cost you. At $200, you might be better off spending a bit more on the A25 or something even higher range. Then again, if you really need an unlocked Samsung phone this isn’t a bad price. We’d watch for carrier deals though. Many postpaid and prepaid carriers will offer the A15 for free or extremely cheap. For example, Google Fi currently offers the Galaxy A15 for free as long as you agree to a payment plan and it reimburses you through 24 monthly credits.

What makes it stand out

• Price: It’s affordable to buy unlocked, but you can get it for free or nearly free via carriers in the US.
• Battery life: We got a full two days of battery life, although there’s no charger in the box.
• Camera performance: The main camera is solid in good lighting, providing some good shots in our testing.

The Galaxy A03s is the cheapest Samsung phone we recommend

We won’t lie, the Galaxy A03s is a really basic phone. However, if you’re looking for a cheap Samsung phone that can still hold up in daily use, it’s the absolute cheapest phone we recommend. You’ll have to temper your expectations since it’s under $200, but it’s still capable of getting the job done.

In our testing, we found performance and build quality to be a bit lacking, but considering the price, these are the compromises you’ll have to make. On the plus side, the relatively weak processor affords great battery life — two days of moderate use — although there’s no charger in the box.

Ultimately, what earns this phone our recommendation is Samsung’s commitment to updates, which includes the same five-year guarantee as its flagship phones, some of which cost ten times as much as this one. Granted you’ll probably want to upgrade before then. This phone can be a great first smartphone for just about anyone, and it’s a solid introduction to One UI and Samsung’s Android ecosystem.

What makes it stand out

• Affordability: This is one of the cheapest Samsung phones you can get in the US.
• Battery life: The beefy 5,000mAh battery lasts for two days of moderate use.
• Longevity: This phone will receive five years of support, although you’ll probably upgrade before then.

What to look for in a cheap Samsung phone

Cheap Samsung phones are among the best budget handsets you can buy, but there are a few things you should consider to find the right device for you:

Value over price

It can be tempting to buy a phone based exclusively on the price tag, but we recommend thinking about the overall value a device represents instead. If a phone costs $100 more but will last a few years longer, it’s a better deal. This can come in the form of better build quality to resist breaking or a better powerful processor to run more demanding apps in the future.

5G or not 5G

Although most of the devices we’ve listed above support a 5G connection, you may not need it depending on your local area and use cases. If you don’t use data much outside of your home or live in a rural area, you can probably save a little money and get an LTE-only phone.

Unlocked vs carrier

In the US, much of the mobile phone market works via carriers. Depending on which company you have your phone plan with, you may be able to get huge deals on Samsung phones. This is true both for flagship devices like the S24 lineup and budget devices in the A series, some of which are available for free on contract.

One camera to rule them all

When it comes to budget smartphones, you should generally ignore any extra camera lenses. In most cases, the primary shooter is the only one that consistently provides results, with low-resolution ultrawide and macro cameras added as an afterthought. Of course, if cameras aren’t important to you, this won’t be an issue.

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